AS many of you know by now, chess is one of the few sports closest to my heart.

I played the game competitively even before I become a sportswriter for the widely-read Journal Group of Publications in 1985.

Although they were too few to mention, I had my share of memorable wins as representative of Ramon Magsaysay Elementary School. and Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. High School in several district and division meets in Quezon City in the 70s up to the early 80s.

Upon the proddings of the late Sim Sotto and Barry Pascua, I even wrote a weeky chess column, Checkmate, in the defunct Sports Weekly Magazine, and later, for Champ Magazine under my kumpare Rickie Santos.

I even played for the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) team which participated in the Manila International chess team tournamrnt, a side event of the 1992 World Chess Olympiad at the PICC in Manila .

It was also during this time that I played 12 straight hours of chess against colleagues Ignacio Dee and the late Benjo Laygo right after press work for the Manila Chess Oympiad Bulletin.

The late Gus Villanueva left for home late that night just as we begin to attack and counter-attack and arrived the following morning to find all three of us still playing.

Fellow sportswriters Dee, Rey Bancod of Daily Tribune and Joey Villar of Philippine Star are surely the better players, but I still hold winning records in one-on-one duels against Roy Luarca and the late Arman Armero and Orlando Primo.

Why am I suddenly talking about chess?

It’s because the new year — 2023 — put me in the nostalgic mood to look back at the finest moments in Philippine chess in 2022.

Here are some of them:

1. Asia’s first GM EugeneTorre was officially inducted into the FIDE World Chess Hall of Fame in Missouri, USA in November.

Torre made history by becoming the first Asian grandmaster in 1974 at age 22 when he earned the silver medal in the 21st World Chess Olympiad in Nice, France.

According to the World Chess Hall of Fame official website, the 71-year-old Torre is also “a member of the Philippine Olympiad team a record 23 times. He won three individual medals on board one (silver at Nice 1974 and bronze at Malta 1980 and Dubai 1986). He also won a bronze medal on board three at Baku 2016 at the age of 64.”

Torre was the official second of American world champion Bobby Fischer in his 1992 rematch with Boris Spassky of Russia.

2. The Philippines made the country proud by finishing 32nd in the 44th World Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India last August.

IM Paulo Bersamina’s crucial victory over GM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal powered the Filipinos to a 2.5-1.5 triumph over Norway.

The 32nd-place finish was a big improvement to the Filipinos’39th place finish in the last over-the-board edition of this biennial meet in Batumi, Georgia four years ago.

The Filipinas also did well by registering their best effort in the Olympiad, finishing at 39th placewith 13 points.

That surpassed their disappointing 67th-place finish in Batumi.

3. Age doesn’t matter as IM Efren Bagamasbad captured the gold medal in the 2022 Asian Senior Chess Championships held at Auckland Rose Park Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand last October.

The 66-year-old Bagamasbad finished with 7.5 points on six wins and three draws to rule the tournament for players 65 years old and above.

With the title, Bagamasbad also became the country’s newest international master.

4.WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego of Dasmariñas, Cavite capped a memorable year when she ruled the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championships at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE) in Quezon City.

The 23-year-old San Diego finished the tournament with an undefeated record of 10.5 points on 10 wins and one draw to capture her first national crown and the top prize of P50,000 courtesy of Nova president Travis Vincent Chua.

A leading mainstay of the all-female team Palawan Queen’s Gambits in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP), San Diego won over a tough and star-studded field that included WGM Janelle Mae Frayna, the country’s highest-rated female player; and WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, a former national women’s champion herself.

5. The Philippines emerged as overall champion in the Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championship held in Bangkok, Thailand last November.

Led by Al-Basher Buto and Davin Sean Romualdez (boys under-12) and John Cyrus Borce (boys under-14), the Filipinos finished with a total of 12 golds in individual blitz, rapid, and standard play and 20 golds in team event.

Also making his mark is Christian Gian Karlo Arca, who made heads turn with his stunning performance.

Arca, a Grade 8 student of Dasmariñas Integrated High School, playing under the guidance of Rep. Pidi Barzaga and FM Roel Abelgas finished with 7.5 points in nine games.

There were many other notable achievements by both young and experienced Filipino players in the wonderful world of chess in the 2022.

How about you?

What are your favorite and memorable moments in Philippine chess in 2022?

Tell us.

NOTES — Bon voyage to my brother, Joseph Andaya, and his wife, Annette, who are returning home to Orange, CA. after spending the holiday season with the family here in the Philippines… Belated birthday greetings to Imelda Akamine, who celebrated last Thursday, Jan. 5.

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